Roughly a month ago, Bob Macdonald was a relatively unknown name in the veteran community. The former Proctor & Gamble CEO – a man with 33 years of business experience- wasn't well known for his five years of service with the Army or for his graduation from West Point. That all might change within the next few weeks or even days.
After a unanimous vote, the Senate has confirmed that McDonald will serve as the new secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs.
A clean sweep and high expectations
Just recently, the Senate voted 97-0 to confirm McDonald as the new department head, showing a tremendous amount of confidence from a normally split political body. Now, politicians have put their trust in McDonald to fix the embattled VA health. The organization has been facing high political and media scrutiny after several scandals and systematic problems surrounding the department came to light earlier this year. It will be up to McDonald to solve problems regarding long wait times for veterans seeking health care appointments, a small work force, limited resources and a corrupt network of senior officials and managers.
Many in Congress have high hopes for the former world-class businessman, however.
"If Mr. McDonald is willing to work in a collaborative and open manner with Congress, he will find a constructive partner on this side of the aisle," Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said, according to CBS News. "We know that there is much we can, and should, do to address this crisis together … Because when veterans are denied care, it's a priority deserving of bipartisan attention."
It will be a long road ahead for McDonald despite the support, however. An internal audit conducted by the VA's Veterans Health Administration was made public on the same day of McDonald's appointment, according to USA Today. The news agency reported that the data shows veterans' wait time records had been falsified in 109 clinics and secret lists hiding data manipulation were held in 110 clinics.
The corruption in the VA health department runs deep, but McDonald already has a plan to deal with some of the issues.
A 90-day plan already underway
It didn't take long for the new secretary of the VA to reveal an enthusiastic three-month plan that will take him across the country to different clinics to collect data about regional officials, record keeping systems and provide support to whistleblowers, according to a report by Military Times. McDonald's primary task involves interviewing VA senior leaders and finding the right group of people to lead the failing organization. Currently, there are 10 vacant leadership positions in the VA that require Senate approval for appointments. McDonald will be charged with finding qualified candidates to recommend.
Solving the current wait time crisis is also a major issue for the new VA department head. With 40,000 veterans still waiting for medical appointments, McDonald will have to put a great deal of effort into finding a way to provide timely and effective care for patients. According to Military Times, he plans to install an advisory board of medical officials inside and outside of the VA to collaborate on the best way to provide the most efficient care. McDonald will rely heavily on this board, as he has no prior medical management experience.
Additionally, a request for $17.6 billion in new funds – asked for by acting VA secretary Sloan Gibson – will help the VA hire more medical personnel and lease more medical establishments if passed by Congress. The measure has already received the support of many lawmakers, according to CBS News.
With over 340,000 employees under his management, McDonald will be put to the test in coming months. Suffering from highly publicized scandals, low morale and few resources many have asked why McDonald would want to take the helm.
In response, the former servicemember has said, "there is no higher calling."